Dear Mr Smith:I have just discovered your web site and enjoyed reading several of your articles. Much of what you say reminded me of what the Concordant organization teaches. Perhaps you were associated with them in some way in the past or maybe just read some of their literature. Anyway, the reason for writing is that I have been trying to get to grips and understand what Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew 24 verse 34: "Truly, I say to you, THIS GENERATION will not pass away till all these things take place." Then follows a long list of "all these things" which will happen "in this generation" not "that generation" ; that is, before the last person living at the time of Jesus dies. My question is was Jesus mistaken or is this an error in the Bible?
Your expeditious reply would be appreciated.Thanks in advance and kind regards,Robert
Dear Robert:
You dogmatically state that Jesus certainly meant: "THIS generation," and not "THAT generation,"
proving that all the things He mentioned or prophesied HAD to happen in His day and generation
or "Was Jesus WRONG?"
Jesus gave prophesies in this chapter that absolutely did not occur in the first century AD regardless of all the unscriptural nonsense the Preterists teach. Did, for example, verse 31of this 24th chapter of Matthew occur in the first century AD: "And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other?"
No, no it didn't occur even as yet (2000 years later). But when it does occur, then "THIS" generation (the ONE which "shall see ALL THESE THINGS") will not pass until all things in this prophecy are completed.
Next consider your "this or that" argument. The word "This" in verse 34 is translated from the following Greek:
G3778
οὗτος, οὗτοι, αὕτη, αὕται
houtos houtoi hautē hautai
hoo'-tos, hoo'-toy, how'-tay, how'-tahee
And here is what Dr. Strong says it means: "...this or THAT..." ! As in "this or THAT generation."
God be with you,
Ray
